Read Part One HERE
A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS
PART XIX - VI
"Today is an important day for me, Demetrius..... I live in Ephesus... I am a silversmith.... I have lived in Ephesus all my life.. My father was a silversmith before me... He taught me everything I needed to know.... I am an excellent craftsman... And I take pride in my trade.... I am very succesful in what I am doing....And I don't mind saying that my success has made me a wealthy man... I am not the only successful silversmith... I have many friends in Ephesus, who likewise, are very successful silversmiths....We were sure that our businesses would continue to prosper...In fact, we looked forward to an increase in business... The reason for our success is that we in Ephesus worship the goddess Artemis...And she has brought us much wealth.... So it is important for us, silversmiths, that she continues to be worshipped...As far as we knew there was no danger of anyone trying to persuade the people in our city to follow any other god...Why would they?... But then, some months ago a man named Paul arrived in our city... At first I took no notice of him...After all, who was he?.... I was told that he was a Jew who had been a Pharisee... But that he was now a follower of the Jewish Rabbi Jesus... And that he claimed he knew the true God of heaven and earth... I shrugged my shoulders because I did not think that anyone would take him serious... But I then heard that the sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest, had tried to deliver some men from demonic spirits and had not been able to do so....And that, consequently, many people had begun to listen to Paul... And had become followers of this Rabbi Jesus....More importantly, they had stopped worshippping our goddess Artemis.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn of the meeting of the silversmiths and other workers in Ephesus led by a man named Demetrius....
ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS
PART XIX - VI
To the silversmith Demetetrius, who lived in Ephesus, religion was a business from which he and his fellow silversmiths were receiving an income. It reminds me of a time when I visited one of the places Roman Catholics like to go to on a pilgrimage, when I noticed many little shops that were selling statues etc. They too were making an income from their religion.
So life in Ephesus had been good for Demetrius... As far as he was concerned, he did not want to bring any changes.... He was not concerned for the people of Ephesus. No, he was only concerned for himself..... Consequently, all he wanted was for the people in Ephesus to remain in darkness by continuing to worship the false goddess Artemis for that had brought him a comfortable life...But then everything had changed with the arrival of a man named Paul... Initially, Demetrius had not given him any attention for, after all, who was he? Just another Jew... A tentmaker by profession so, as far as he was concerned, he was not in competition with him...But he then had begun to hear of people who were following this Jesus about whom Paul was preaching. And, consequently, they had stopped worshipping Artemis...To begin with he was not too worried, for he believed that the people in Ephesus would have enough sense to see through the nonsense of this man Paul, and remain committed to the great goddesss Artemis...However, other things had happened, like that situation with the sons of Sceva who had not been able to deliver some people from demonic spirits and had been attacked by them.... Moreover, he had been there when so many people had burned their scrolls.... He had been pretty shocked to see what people had done that day... That was the day he realised they were having a serious problem on their hands that was not going away until they did something about it... And so he called his colleagues together and spoke to them as you can read in Acts 19:26
"And you see and hear this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all."
Demetrius knew it was time for action for him and the other silversmiths and other workers in Ephesus.
Read Part Eleven HERE
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